Kenji, Leave Daddy's Hair Alone!
by Kaze no Ato
Summary: What's a poor Rurouni to do when his toddler son finds a pair of scissors and just loves to mess with his hair? Oro!


Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin © 1994 by Nobuhiro Watsuki and SHUEISHA Inc., Tokyo.

Once again, I will have to dedicate this to LuClipse85. I love you, sis.

Kenji, Leave Daddy's Hair Alone!

It was a wonderful autumn day in Tokyo. The sun was gently warming the people, staving off the chill that would soon come. A little Dojo set in the city limits was teeming with activity on this day.

"Kenshin, you know I need to practice on my cooking. I can't very well do that while watching Kenji." Himura Kaoru said, holding a redheaded toddler in her arms.

Her husband was at a loss. On one hand, he loved his son dearly. On the other, it seemed his son didn't exactly return the sentiments. He looked at his son, a miniature version of himself in his wife's outstretched arms and his son made a face at him. "This unworthy one does not thi—"

"What have I told you about that 'this unworthy one' line?" Kaoru growled.

"Oro!"

"Now take your son."

"Yes ma'am!"

Kaoru handed their son to him, turned around and stormed into the kitchen. Kenshin held Kenji facing him. Kenji reached out, before Kenshin could stop him, and clamped his tiny fist around a lock of his father's hair and tugged.

"Itai! No, no… let got of otou-san's hair little one…"

In response, Kenji tugged all the harder and giggled madly. Tug, tug, tug. Each tug was followed by Kenshin's "itai!" This continued on for several minutes before Kenji seemed to get bored of it. He started to wiggle in Kenshin's hold.

"Do you want down, little one?"

Kenji wiggled more and Kenshin let him down. The toddler contented himself with crawling around the ground and playing with the dirt. Kenshin started to nod off as Kenji began to play on the porch behind him. A tugging on his hair brought him out of his snooze. Thinking it was just his son tugging on the hair he turned his head sharply and heard the distinct sound of something cutting.

He looked, and saw his son holding a pair of old scissors that he thought Kaoru had thrown out… and locks of his hair, laying in different lengths, on the porch. He jumped up and turned to face his son, eyes wide. Kenji waved the scissors at him and giggled happily. Kenshin reached around his back, groping for his hair.

"K-K-KAORU!"

In a flash, Kaoru was out of the kitchen with a bokken in her hair. Her eyes searched the yard for signs of an intruder. "Okay, what needs to be beaten?"

Kenshin stood there, shaking and pointing at the porch. Kaoru caught sight of something, looked back at Kenshin and raised an eyebrow. "Himura Kenshin, don't tell me that you're afraid of bugs."

"ORO!" Kenshin shouted, "This one is NOT afraid of bugs."

"Then what's wrong, Kenshin?"

"Our child cut off this one's hair… and unevenly!"

Kaoru finally noticed the fallen locks of beautiful, silky red hair on the porch in front of her. "Oh, Kenshin… turn around."

Kenshin sighed, complying with his wife's orders. He winced when he heard a soft 'oh my' from behind him. He waited for Kaoru to say something more, but he then heard a thud from behind him. He quickly turned around quickly to find Kaoru on the porch, shaking.

"Kaoru! Daijoubu desu ka?" he cried, bending down to help her. Only then did he realize she was shaking with the laughter she was trying so hard to contain. Kenshin fell onto his butt unceremoniously and whined. "This one has such a cruel, cruel life…"

"Baka 'tou-san!" Kenji giggled, tugging on his hair again.

"Stay away!" Kenshin jumped up and away from his child, screaming like a girl. Looking at his son as if he was some demon.

At that exact time Yahiko pushed open the gates of the Dojo, running in with the Sakabatou drawn at the ready. "What the hell's wrong here? I could here busu from…down… the… It wasn't Kaoru screaming, was it?"

Still on the porch floor, Kaoru burst into laughter once again. Her son crawling over to her and laughing for no other reason than because his mother was laughing. Yahiko, standing behind Kenshin notices his hair.

"And THAT is why I'm never having kids." Yahiko snorted.

"Uh-huh, Tsubame's going to have something to say about that." Kaoru replied, snickering. Yahiko blushed, looked away and began to grumble.

"Shitsurei desu ga, this one has a bigger problem." Kenshin replied, sighing.

"You're right. I'll be right back, Kenshin." Kaoru said, going back into the kitchen.

Kenshin's eyes followed Kaoru nervously, then darted over to look at Yahiko. "You don't think..?"

"I think you should run like hell, Kenshin."

"… this one was thinking that himself." Kenshin gulped and ran out of the gate.

Not a minute later did Kaoru return with a new pair of scissors and a confused look on her face. "Where did Kenshin go?"

"Told him to run like hell, busu. He's never seen YOU cut something, but gathering that Kenji didn't inherit his cutting skills from Kenshin, he took off running."

Kaoru growled, grabbed a bokken from seemingly nowhere and Yahiko now sports two new lumps upon his head. "You may be the acting instructor, but I'm still the master. Stay here and watch Kenji while I go look for my husband. The great Hitokiri Battousai, afraid of scissors. What next?"

Kaoru tucked the scissors into her kimono, stepped into her geta, grabbed several bokken and hurried out of the gates after Kenshin. This left Yahiko staring at Kenji, who was sitting in the dirt playing with Kenshin's hair. "Okay stupid, what am I going to do with you?"

WHACK! Sporting yet another lump, and with Kaoru's "stop insulting my kid!" ringing in his ears Yahiko decided to just play with the darn kid until they got back.

Kaoru was getting a bit nervous as she searched the streets of downtown Tokyo and most of Kenshin's favorite hangouts. No one had seen Kenshin at all. Of course, even though he was no long able to use the Hiten Mutsurugi that didn't mean an ex-Hitokiri lost his ability to stay out of sight. She chewed on her lip, looking down every alley, and running into someone in the process.

"Oof! Hey, watch where… Tae?" Kaoru questioned, getting a look at the woman.

"Close, but wrong twin, Kaoru-san!" the woman said, her kansai accent thick.

"Sae! What are you doing this far from Kyoto and the Shirobeko?"

"This and that. Missed my sister, mainly. But you look distressed, what's wrong Kaoru-chan?"

"Kenji cut off some of Kenshin's hair, and when I went to get my scissors it seems that Yahiko ran him off with tales of my cutting abilities."

"Why don't we stop in see Tae and take a rest, ne?"

The two women entered the Akabeko, the sister restaurant to the Shirobeko. Tae heard the bell ring announcing the new arrivals, "Welcome to the best beef pot restaurant in Tokyo! I- SAE!" she yelled, dropping the tray she was carrying, sake bottles crashing to the floor. "I missed you. Ooh, hi Kaoru-chan!"

"Tae-san, have you seen my husband?" Kaoru asked, hoping that she had.

Tae smiled, "Today, Kaoru-chan?"

Now Kaoru got suspicious, "Yes, today."

Tae's smile began to turn to a nervous twitch, "No dear. I haven't seen Ken-san at all."

"Uh-huh." Kaoru said, eyeing her suspiciously.

Sae decided to but in. "Oh, for Kami-sama's sake! You're lyin', Tae. Can't very well fool your own twin."

"RUN FOR IT, KEN-SAN!"

In a flash, Kenshin ducked out of a booth and through the door. Kaoru barely registered that her husband had flown by. As soon as she recovered, though, she was hot on his trail. Muttering curses and a few 'Kenshin no baka's, she hardly managed to keep up with him. Then an idea struck her. She hefted a bokken and chucked it at her husband. She knew she found her mark by the following 'Oro!' and a loud crash as Kenshin hit the ground. Catching up to the redhead's prone she tapped her foot.

"Please, please do not cut this one's hair!" Kenshin pleaded with his wife, "Can this one at least go to a professional?"

"Kenshin…"

"Kaoru, please…"

"Oh, fine. Get up."

So the couple proceeded to a nearby barbershop. Twenty minutes of debating later, and a few snips, Kenshin walked out sporting chin-length hair. A smile of bliss on his face as he walked, hand in hand, back to the Dojo with his wife.

"Do you like it?" He asked her.

"I'd love you if you didn't have any hair, anata." She whispered.

Upon arriving at the Dojo's gates, they heard Yahiko screaming. They looked at each other and sweat-dropped. Kaoru pushed open the gate to find Yahiko lying on his back on the ground, with a giggling Kenji on his stomach.

"Kenji, stop!" He yelled again, only causing Kenji to tickle him harder.

Kaoru shook her head, "Some acting instructor. Can't even fend off a toddler."

"He is our son."

"So true."


End file.
